Search This Blog

Sunday, 2 September 2007

The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth

Yet another few milestones have come and gone over the course of these past nearly two months and among them is the little bottom tooth Anika now has in her mouth as of today. She has not been irritable nor has she had a fever but I did notice some redness in the diaper area, which is very uncommon for her. Let’s hope the remaining teeth come in as effortlessly! Or perhaps it will be a whole other tune…

The other day I was playing guitar for her as she was sitting on the floor (yes, all by herself). I started strumming a groovy beat and to my delight, she starting bobbing up and down to it! I nearly bust a gut laughing so hard. If only crawling could be as much of a laughing matter.

Anika can manoeuvre herself around on her tummy with surprising agility. Already she can locate folded laundry, video tapes and small pieces of lint. Changing her diaper is becoming an athletic challenge for both Anika AND mom!

Rather than get up on her knees when she wants to move forward, she pushes up into a pushup position and pushes herself forward on her big toes! It doesn’t look at all comfortable. She is getting irritated with the lack of control over her own mobility. When she’s in my arms, she’s leaning forward or to the left attempting to grab something. When she’s down, she wants up and when she’s up she wants sideways and when she’s sideways she wants down… mind you, I suppose she is female… hee hee hee!

I now get the occasional hug and more recently, lovely kisses. When she’s ready for bed and I am rocking her in my arms for a moment, she now rests her head on my shoulder for a momentary cuddle. I LOVE it!!! And sometimes when she has just woken up from a nap and there are new people in the house, she will lean her head against my shoulder and give them a sideways bashful look. LOL! I remember with Mélina, this was the ONLY time she would cuddle up to me so I would deliberately seek out people she didn’t know in order to get SOME cuddles!

Bath time is still a favourite. I suppose I’ll have to get some bath toys soon rather than just the face clothe. I used to tell her to kick-kick-kick her feet or to splash-splash-splash her hands, even when she was teeny tiny. This is now beginning to backfire as her kicks are becoming strong and her splashes somewhat disastrous. Oh well, I suppose it’s just water, right?

The farm animals continue to fascinate her. She can be a busy body in the house but the minute we go outside, she is silent and watches intently everything around her. She is so peaceful outside and truly seems within her element. I suppose this is Duane’s genetics kicking in because he’d be happy living, eating and sleeping outdoors. Luckily we don’t get into any arguments or I’d be the one to sleep outside… otherwise he would enjoy it too much! LOL!!

She can still spot her papa from a mile away or hear his voice (I suppose we all can!). She watches him on the tractor or working on the combine. I think she will be his helper some day. She delights in the time she gets to spend with her dad. Anika’s busy fingers often end up filthy from grabbing her papa’s dinner plate or food he is trying to eat.

Breast milk is still her only source of food at this time although Anika would eat anything if we let her. She stares down our food as though she’d never been fed in her life! I nurse every two hours and pump once in the night to give her an additional feeding. We weighed her yesterday and she is a whopping 18.0 lbs.

Oh yes, another cute thing she has started doing is crinkling her nose and breathing in and out super fast. It is hilarious!

Her big sisters continue to be the source of her laughter and joy. Anything and everything Melina does gets her giggling. Sure enough, if I imitate, Anika simply stares blankly at me. Mina is beginning to assume she is the favourite. Either way, Anika misses her sisters when they are at their dad's. Pictures of them leave her reaching out towards them. I don't know how these little ones know, but they just seem to have this innate bond with siblings.

I sat her next to Isabel one morning and she looked up at her big sister who was sitting propped up on the couch. I was thinking “how cute” when with lightning flash speed, Anika grabbed Isabel’s glasses and yanked them right off her face! Isabel was patient and didn’t complain but I decided to separate them a little bit.

A funny sight is when I’m driving the van with Anika behind my driver’s seat and Isabel in her specialized motor seat next to her. Oftentimes, Isabel will start to cry or whine and Anika whips her head and watches Isabel as she cries. Eventually, the tables turn and Anika starts crying then Isabel turns her head and watches Anika cry! The worst is when they both feel compelled to cry simultaneously. That’s when I feel I belong in some Aspirin commercial.

Speaking of being out and about, Anika has decided that the minute we step out for an excursion, she must poop herself silly. Not just a full diaper… we’re talking spilling out the top and edges “full”. Oh yeah. It has become so consistent that I now pack two sets of pants and the minute I arrive at our destination, I get her changed because by then, the deed has been done… guaranteed. This past week, she did this the moment we arrived at the mall and then again when we arrived at Children’s Rehabilitation Centre for Isabel’s appointment. I drove two minutes to get the mail once, and she managed to pull this off even in that time frame! Apparently field trips are “moving” experiences for her.

Vocabulary still consists of baa-baa-baa and da-da-da but she is attempting some new sounds that I have no clue how to attempt typing them phonetically. She’s catching on to sign language and recognizes several signs such as milk, chicken, dog, cat, more, bath, all done, and book.

Everyday is a new day filled with new discoveries and accomplishments. My hands are becoming fuller as she becomes more demanding but my heart fills as she grows more and more into who she is meant to be. It is so much fun getting to know Anika Joy!

About Me

I like to laugh at myself, wear my heart on my sleeve, volunteer way too much info, and hug people! I'm an eternal optimist and value honesty at all cost. My husband and I are passionate about growing our food organically, growing in our faith, and delighting in the blessing of our children. I have stumbled enough to learn that I am stronger than I realize. I forgive because I know what it means to be forgiven. Key life events that shaped my life are: getting pregnant with Melina at fifteen, still graduating alongside my peers , marrying too young, Isabel's early arrival (27 weeks), the day Izzy was in the resuscitation room, the support of my family, the devastation of bankruptcy, a painful divorce, working three jobs to feed my kids, reaching a point of self-sustenance in my life, and meeting my soul mate whose honesty and integrity earns my respect and love more so every day. A few years later, a few kids later (Anika, Ethan, Sivana & Avalyn), some with significant health issues of their own, life is abundant in its blessings and I delight in sharing our family's journey (good and bad) every step of the way!